After sifting through countless resumes and submissions, Hoosier Access is proud to present the second annual “Top 25 Under 25 in Indiana Politics”!  These hard working young men and women represent some of the best of the best in young political talent in Indiana.  Candidates were ranked algorithmically in order of 4 equal categories including: Promise, Power, Success, and Recommendation.  Plenty of submissions were made which made narrowing the list down a very difficult task, but we are very proud of this list.

1.   Dave Ober http://davidober.us/

As the Republican Nominee for State Representative in District 82, Dave won a hard-fought primary against a very strong candidate.  As it’s District 82, look for Dave Ober to be the youngest member of the IGA in January.

2.   Trent Hagerty http://www.linkedin.com/pub/trent-hagerty/17/331/8b6

Trent knows how to beat democrats.  He’s excelled from hard fought ground warfare in enemy territory to statewide coordination to help give Indiana a majority of Republican mayors.

3.   Jenna Knepper http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jenna-knepper/40/902/974

Jenna knows voter contact beyond her years.  A Ballard veteran and a key reason for Susan Brooks’ 5th District primary win, Jenna is a powerhouse.

4.  Maddison Klontz http://www.linkedin.com/in/maddisonklontz

A Legislative Assistant in the State Senate, Maddison knows her way around lobbying and, in the past, has navigated both congressional and issue campaigns defly.

5.  Brett Highley http://www.linkedin.com/pub/brett-r-highley/24/649/b96

Boiler Up!  The former Purdue Student Body President has a presence, network, and resume to send him far.  His future after his Governor’s fellowship looks bright.

6.  Ashley Gutwein http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ashley-gutwein/13/a19/382

Ashley shows you the money.  Deputy Finance Director for the Coats Campaign in 2010, and a current “Jane of of all trades” for Anne Hathaway and Hathaway Strategies, Ashley will have a long career in cash coordination.

7.  Christopher Creighton http://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-creighton/21/1a0/7ba

Directing State Senator Sue Glick’s re-election primary sent Chris to the front of the pack.  One of the directors of Young Hoosiers for Romney, look for Chris to advance even further after his work re-electing Senate President David Long this fall.

8.  Julie Southworth http://www.linkedin.com/pub/julie-southworth/16/b44/a6

A state party finance alumni, Julie is ensuring we keep America’s best State Superintendent in office by tearing his opponent up in fundraising.

9.  Ethan Manning http://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanmanning

The State College Republican Chairman knows his way around a campaign.  He’s a farmer and currently also serves in Senator Dick Lugar’s Northeast Indiana office.  He goes by E. Everett Manning.

10.  Michael Neal http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaneal

The Lake County Young Republican Chairman is managing several State Representative Campaigns and fighting the enemy on their home turf.  Look for him as a leader in Northwest Indiana.

11.  Jake Teshka

The St. Joe County Party Executive Director is also a State Party alumni with a fantastic future.

12.  Zach Bonahoom http://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbonahoom

2011’s GOP nominee for Fort Wayne City Clerk put on a great performance and will be a staple in the echo chamber for a long time.

13.  Jeff Cummins

Managing several State Rep campaigns and always serving with a humble heart, Jeff will be a State Representative himself very soon.

14.  Emily Daniels http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92059199&locale=en_US&trk=tyah

As the young mind behind Jackie Walorski’s campaign, Emily is an enterprising campaigner who will advance far.

15.  Jacob Breach http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=45949089&locale=en_US&trk=tyah

His resume reads like that of some sort of political James Bond.  We’d list it here, but that’s highly classified.

16.  Cora Griffin

A volunteer, campaigner, policy guru.  Cora will be leading change for years.

17.  Brent Kent http://www.linkedin.com/pub/brent-kent/21/935/779

Already a young “campaign veteran” and Regional Outreach Manager for Students First, Brent is advancing rapidly.

18.  Alex Miller

A Legislative Assistant in the State House, Alex earned his stripes in the field re-electing State Senator Tom Wyss.

19.  Sharyl Pels http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sharyl-pels/34/b25/b37

An aspiring lawyer (a fact we didn’t hold against her) Sharyl has a well-rounded resume fit for the public and the private sector.

20.  Holly Gillham http://www.linkedin.com/in/hollygillham

This Prosper Group intern is well on her way to a great future in communications.

21.  Matt Humm http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=72911573&locale=en_US&trk=tyah2

A diligent guy, Humm works the field where he began, with Jackie Walorski, and continues on with Indiana Victory.

22.  Matthew Swiontek http://www.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-swiontek/3a/727/161

Another aspiring lawyer, Matt worked his tail off for the Richard Mourdock for Senate campaign.

23.  Mike Morgan http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mike-morgan/29/7b7/2b7

The ’08 Dan Burton for Congress Campaign Manager currently owns an insurance company and will impact the conversation in Indiana for years.

24.  Clinton Smith http://www.linkedin.com/pub/clinton-smith/1b/b70/211

The former Dick Lugar staffer has recently made an awesome transition to Koch Companies.  Congratulate him when you get a chance.

25.  Veronica Schilb http://www.linkedin.com/pub/veronica-schilb/17/b19/757

A current Governor’s fellow, Veronica is as smart as they come.